Dental Implants Lexington MA
Do you have one or more missing teeth and are looking for a treatment that works for you? If so, you will likely find yourself looking into dental implants, bridges and dentures. Each of these are common choices to help restore your smile when you find yourself with missing teeth. But you will need to know the differences between each so that you can make an intelligent decision about your oral care.
What are dentures?
Dentures are one option for replacing missing teeth involving the placement of removable appliances. If all of your natural teeth are missing, whether from tooth decay or injury, or gum disease, dentures can improve your appearance and your health. This is because these appliances make it easier to speak and eat better than you could without teeth.
Losing all of your teeth can cause your facial muscles to sag, making you look significantly older than your actual age. If you have dentures, your facial appearance will be filled out more, helping your facial profile. Dentures can closely match the appearance of your natural teeth and improve the appearance of your smile.
What is a dental bridge?
A dental bridge is one or more replacement teeth that fill the space left by missing teeth. This creates a more natural appearance and helps to restore the patient’s smile. The most common type of bridge, the traditional bridge, involves one or more false teeth held into place using dental crowns that are cemented to adjacent teeth.
What is a dental implant?
Dental implants consist of a titanium post that is placed into the jawbone. An abutment is placed over this post followed by a crown to serve as a chewing surface and to give the appearance of a natural tooth.
After the initial placement of the titanium post, your jawbone will fuse around this post to firmly anchor the implant. The abutment and crown are placed over the titanium post in a subsequent appointment. In some cases, a bone graft is necessary before the placement of an implant.
Properly cared for, dental implants can be expected to last for a lifetime.
What are the differences between dental implants, bridges and dentures?
Of the three, bridges and dentures share the most in common. They are not implanted within the jaw, but the main difference is that dentures are removable, while bridges are fixed appliances.
Dental implants are by far the superior treatment choice for replacing missing teeth. They offer results that last longer than other treatment alternative by decades. They are also firmly attached to the underlying jawbone, so they will never slip or lead to problems with eating or speaking.
Schedule Your Appointment
If you have one or more missing teeth, we invite you to contact us to further explore your treatment options. At Lexington Smile Studio, we offer a variety of services to assist every unique smile. Schedule your consultation today.
